Margate’s Ben Gravy, Ocean City’s Rob Kelly or any local surfer will tell you that constantly riding waist-high waves won’t help much when it comes time tackle 10-foot swells.
The same goes for boxing. First-round victories against overmatched opponents do little to prepare a fighter for more challenging matchups.
Whether they are in the ocean off the coast of Longport or in a boxing ring in Atlantic City, there comes a time when a heavyweight needs to test themselves, to paddle out into deeper water and see if they can stay afloat.
That’s why Saturday’s heavyweight fight between Holy Spirit High School graduate Josh Popper and Absegami alumnus Bruce Seldon Jr. at Tropicana Hotel and Casino is so appealing.
Despite their ages – Popper is 32 and Seldon is 31 – they are groms in the boxing world. Popper (7-0, 6 KOs) and Seldon (8-0, 6 KOs) got off to late starts in their careers and have spent the past few years gaining experience and building their records against some less-than-stellar opposition.
Popper, a former standout football and basketball player at Holy Spirit and football star at Rowan University, had a brief amateur career before turning pro two years ago.
Seldon, son of former WBA heavyweight champion Bruce Seldon, also made his pro debut in 2024 without any amateur background.
Most fighters in that situation wouldn’t take a risk.
“I started when I was 29, so I’m learning on the job,” Seldon said. “I just need to keep getting better and better.”
Both have shown promise in the early going, though they were rarely test.
Popper, who grew up in Egg Harbor Township and now lives and trains in New York, earned his first six wins against opponents with a combined record of 9-34-1.
In his last outing, he posted a six-round, unanimous decision over veteran Rydell Booker (27-14-1), a former contender who has suffered nine straight losses.
Seldon, who moved back to Smithville after living in Las Vegas for a few years, has taken a similar route.
His initial foes were a combined 15-25-1, then he gained a six-round, unanimous decision over rugged Jose Medina (8-2-1).
“My last one was a tough one, and I made it tough on myself,” Seldon said. “I did not do the things I was supposed to do. But just to see that I can get through a tough fight, that when I have nothing in the tank I can dig deep and make it happen, that’s the kind of thing you can’t show until you’re in it.”
Popper and Seldon will undoubtedly get a chance to show it on Saturday.
And they deserve credit for taking the risk.
They could have continued to follow the smooth, pothole-free path traveled by too many boxers and protected their unbeaten records with bouts against less-than-stellar opposition.
Instead, they have decided to try to catch a bigger wave.
The outcome doesn’t really matter. Whether they suffer a wipeout or a knockout, the experience will only serve to make them better prepared for when the next swell rolls in.
PUNCHLINES: Popper-Seldon is the main event of Boxing Insider Promotions owner Larry Goldberg’s eighth card at the Tropicana.
Six other bouts are scheduled, including a four-round, super-lightweight fight featuring Pleasantville’s Julio Sanchez III (4-1, 3 KOs) against Shawn Rall (4-6, 3 KOs), of Bedford, Ohio.
Sanchez, a 24-year-old former basketball standout at Pleasantville High School, has notched three straight knockouts. Rall has won two straight.
Tickets start at $51.55 and are available at Ticketmaster.com.
David is a nationally recognized sports columnist who has covered Philadelphia and local sports for over 40 years. After 35 years with The Press, he has served as a columnist for 973ESPN.com and created his own Facebook page, Dave Weinberg Extra Points. Send comments to weinbergd419@comcast.net.
